Head of the United Transitional Cabinet Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya held a meeting with Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna. The talks took place on 15 January in Vilnius.
The politician thanked the minister for supporting the repressed, the International Humanitarian Fund, and the Mission of Democratic Belarus in Tallinn. The sides discussed regional security, developments in Iran and Venezuela, the process and further steps to free political prisoners, relations with the United States, joint initiatives in international organisations, as well as the European Union’s sanctions policy.
Tsikhanouskaya stressed that, in her view, international pressure on the Belarusian authorities must continue until repression ends and systemic changes begin in the country. She also presented the priorities of the democratic forces of Belarus for 2026.
The meeting covered the activities of the Mission of Democratic Belarus in Tallinn, the possibility of expanding its work to neighbouring countries, cooperation with Nordic states and the Nordic-Baltic Eight format, as well as the participation of freed political prisoners in international conferences. In addition, the sides touched upon the issue of recognising the Belarusian national passport.
The Estonian foreign minister confirmed Tallinn’s readiness to continue supporting Belarusian democratic forces both at the national level and within the European Union. He also noted that Estonia, elected to the UN Human Rights Council, intends to actively raise the Belarus issue in this forum.
“I am grateful to Minister Tsahkna and the entire team of the Estonian Ministry of Foreign Affairs for their consistent support of Belarusians and Belarus. Belarusians in Estonia feel safe, and we are systematically addressing diaspora issues. Estonians perfectly understand our struggle for freedom and independence because they have lived through this themselves. I am especially grateful for the support of our mission in Tallinn and hope that this year we will be able to implement a number of new initiatives,” Tsikhanouskaya said following the meeting.
